Socket



w. J. FLAN'IGAN 3,548,363

SOCKET Dec. 15, 1990 H 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed A ril. 21,. 1969 /7 TUFNEYS,

wi A Dec. 15, 1910" wjJ. FLANIGAN 3,548,363.

socxn'r Filed April 21, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,548,363 SOCKET William J. Flanigan, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to Microdot Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of California Filed Apr. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 817,709 Int. Cl. H01r 13/20 U.S. Cl. 339127 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The socket for a double filament lamp bulb has a twopart body containing a light bulb supporting sleeve and contact elements joined to pin-like terminals which extend at right angle to the axis of the sleeve all of which forms a unit when the two parts are permanently secured together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to a socket having a body made from two half sections providing a hollow interior and a plug receiving extension located at right angle to the main body portion. One half section of the body has apertures in which pins are inserted which engage the ends of resiliently formed strips which function as contacts for engaging the terminals at the end of a light bulb. A cylindrical sleeve is supported on semi-circular ribs provided within the base end of the body having securing fingers which engage slots in the body and anchor the sleeve therein. The sleeve has bayonet slots at the base end for supporting a lamp bulb and outwardly extending fingers are provided thereon which lock the base end of the body within an aperture in a receptacle or other supporting member. An aperture is provided in the member having notches therein, one of greater width than the other for locating the base on the member. Arcuately extending flanges at opposite edges of the aperture having a ramp portion for having the fingers draw the base tightly against the member and a notch therein into which the fingers extend for locking the socket on the member. The terminal pins are inserted through apertures in the other body section into a plug receiving recess after which the two halves are sonically sealed together or secured together by any other means known in the art to be suitable. When the locking fingers at the end of the lamp bulb supporting sleeve engage a metal member for retaining the socket thereon, the grounding of the member eliminates the necessity of otherwise grounding the sleeve and the base of the lamp bulb. When the supporting member is not grounded or is made of insulating material, a finger on the sleeve has a pin provided thereon which also extends through an aperture in the one section of the body into the plug receiving recess. Nibs are provided on the outer surface of the plug receiving recess which are engaged by the plug for locking the plug thereon. A cylindrical sleeve may be formed on the body sections in which light conducting filaments are supported having one end exposed to the light from the light bulb and the other end extending to a point where light may be directed therefrom. A locking finger may be provided on the sleeve for retaining the filaments therein. The sleeve locates the filaments relative to the socket and the fingers of the socket locates the socket relative to the supporting member so that the filament of the lamp bulb is oriented in a desired position. The contact for the lamp bulb terminals are sinuously formed to provide the desired resiliency thereto but it is to be understood that the strips may be formed in any manner to provide resiliency so long as they are maintained out of contact engagement with each other.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a socket embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the light bulb receiving end of the socket illustrated in FIG. 1 locked within an aperture in a supporting member;

FIG. 3 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, with the socket illustrated in unlocked position;

FIG. 4 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 44 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 55 thereof;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 6-6 thereof;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 5, taken on the line 77 thereof, and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 5, taken on the line 8-8 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The socket 11 has a body made up of two portions 12 and 13 which are preferably molded from a plastic material. Each part has a semi-circular base portion 14 and 15 from which semi-cylindrical flanges 16 and 17 extend for centering the socket within the aperture of a supporting member. Rectangular portions 18 and 19 extend upwardly from the base portions on which oval shaped portions 21 and 22 extend. The body portion 12 has a tapered Sealing projection 23 extending about the edge thereof which faces the body portion 13 in position to engage the edge thereof. The seal may be made in any suitable manner but preferably by sonic means, the reduced area provided by the projection 23 producing a more positive seal although face-to-face sonic or other type of seal can be utilized. Each of the body portions 12 and 13 has a recess 24 at the base end containing spaced semicircular ribs 25 which support a metal cylindrical light bulb receiving sleeve 26. The sleeve is rolled from a strip of material to have abutting ends 27 and a ground extending finger 28. Laterally projecting fingers 29 at the inner end extend within slots 31 in the body portions 12 and 13 to secure the sleeve therein. A pair of aligned laterally extending angularly shaped locking fingers 32 are provided on the outer end of the sleeve 26 for locking the assembly to a supporting member. When the supporting member is made of metal which is grounded then the grounding finger 28 performs no function. When the member is made of an insulating material then a terminal pin 33 is secured to the end of the finger 28 to extend through an aperture 34 in the wall of the body portion 13 to within a plug-receiving recess 35 extending at right angles to the recess 24 of the body portions 12 and 13. A pair of oppositely disposed bayonet slots 30 in the wall of the sleeve 26 anchors the light bulb base thereto in conducting relation therewith.

The oval end of the body portion 12 has apertures 37 and 38 therein for receiving terminal pins 39 and 41 which extend within the plug receiving recess 35 above and laterally spaced from each other and the ground terminal pin 33 when utilized. A pair of resilient contact strips 42 and 43. are in conducting engagement with the larger end portion of the terminal pins 39 and 41. An end portion 45 of the strips is trapped within a slot 46 where it will be bowed by the end of the pin when inserted in the aperture to be in firm fixed contact therewith. The pin 41 has a sleeve 47 of insulating material stretched thereover for retaining the end portion 45 of the resilient strip 43 in the bottom of its slot. The pin 39 is urged against the inner wall of the slot by an insulating strip 48 against which the end portion 45 of the resilient strip 42 abuts for positioning the strip in a plane above the plane of the strip 43 in spaced relation thereto, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. The recess is formed by an oval shaped extension 49 of the body portion 13 and receives a standard plug which completes a circuit to the terminal pins 33, 39 and 41 and which has locking means which engage nibs on the top and bottom of the wall 49.

Each of the body portions 12 and 13 have semicylindrical angularly disposed extensions 51 and 52, respectively, which form a cylinder for receiving one end of light carrying filaments when inserted therein and disposed adjacent to the light bulb to have the light distributed from the opposite end thereof as conventionally practiced. The filaments are fixed within the cylinder 50 by a nib 53 extending from the semicylindrical portion 52. When the cylindrical portions are not employed for supporting the filaments, semicylindrical webs are molded thereacross to seal the passageway therethrough.

The socket 11 is herein illustrated as being secured to a panel member 55 having a circular aperture 56 in the wall of which a notch 57 and a wider notch 58 are diametrically disposed. The inwardly extending flanges 16 and 17 fit within the aperture 56 when the locking fingers 32 pass through the apertures 57 and 58. One of the locknig fingers 32 is disposed adjacent to a nib 59 which is spaced therefrom a distance to project within the wider notch 58 when the finger is inserted therein to locate the socket on the panel and orient the filaments of the light bulb carried thereby. After the locking fingers 32 have extended through the apertures 57 and 58, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the socket may be turned to have the fingers ride up a ramp portion 60 of arcuate flanges 61 provided at the edge of the aperture 56 and to move into notches 62 thereof when abutting a stop portion 63, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The socket 11 when mounted in the receptacle or panel member 55 positions the filament in a desired manner and has the terminals from the contacts for the light bulb disposed at right angle ot the axis of the light bulb sleeve. The terminals in the nature of pins are in conductive relation to the resilient strips which form the contacts for the light bulb. The strips are herein illustrated as being of sinuous form but it is to be understood that any form may be provided to the strips so long as they have resiliency to be deflected by the contacts on the base of the light bulb and so long as they are formed in a manner to be out of contact with each other. It is, however, within the purview of the invention to provide an insulating layer between the strips or to have the body portion thereof covered with an insulating material. The contact strips and pins after being placed on the body portion 12 will be enclosed by the body portion 13 with the half portions secured together by adhesive, heat, sonic welding or any other process known in the art to be suitable. The locking fingers 32 on the outer end of the sleeve secure the socket 11 within the aperture 56 of the receptacle or supporting member 55 when secured in notches 62 in flanges 61 at the edge of the aperture 56.

I claim:

1. In a socket, an insulating body having two sections sealed together at the mating faces, a cylindrical metal lamp bulb supporting sleeve in said body having means by which it is secured therewithin, outwardly extending locking fingers on said sleeve located beyond the outer end thereof, at least one terminal extending from said body at right angles to the axis of said sleeve, and at least one releasable contact within the body located at the inner end of the sleeve in position to be engaged by a terminal on a light bulb base when supported therein.

2. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein the end of the body has a circular flange matable with an aperture of a supporting member, said aperture having notches therein one of which is wider than the other for receiving one locking finger and an adjacent nib for causing said one finger to always be inserted through the wider notch for orienting the socket.

3. In a socket as recited in claim 2, wherein the supporting element has a pair of notched flanges at the edges of the apertures which are engaged by the locking fingers for releasably securing the socket on said supporting member.

4. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein a pair of terminal pins extend at right angle to the sleeve and wherein a pair of contacts are constructed from a pair of strips of material formed in a manner to engage the pins and to resiliently engage a pair of terminals on the end of the light bulb when supported by the sleeve.

5. In a socket as recited in claim 4, wherein the termianl pins are insertable in apertures in one body section in conducting engagement with one end of the strips which are supported in slots in the body section which intercepts the apertures from which they are deflected by said pins.

6. In a socket as recited in claim 4, wherein insulating means are provided for the pins which locates the contact strips one above the other in spaced relation.

7. In a socket as recited in claim 4, wherein insulating means retains the contact strips in spaced relation one above the other.

8. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein an angularly disposed sleeve is provided in the side of the body in which a light conducting element is supported with one end located adjacent to the lamp bulb when supported in the socket.

9. In a socket as recited in claim 5, wherein a hollow extension is provided on the body about said terminals which forms a recess for a plug which is insertable therewithin to engage the contacts, and nibs on the other surface of the extension by which the plug is retained within the recess.

10. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein the securing means for the sleeve are outwardly extending fingers which engage slots within the body sections for locking the sleeve within the body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,510,230 9/1924 Johnston 339--X 1,516,837 11/1924 Wright 339-156 1,666,973 4/1928 Miles et a1. 339210X 2,922,136 1/1960 Corcoron 339l28 3,263,204 6/1966 Fitzgerald 339-188 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. XJR. 339-156, 208 

